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Children's author and illustrator Shirley Hughes (b. 1927) has just become the first person to win the inaugural Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award. This new award is for making "an outstanding contribution to children's literature".Hughes is best known as the creator of the beautifully illustrated Alfie picture books and the picture book 'Dogger', the latter winning the Kate Greenaway medal for book illustration in 1977. Dogger has also been voted the public’s favourite Kate Greenaway Medal winner of all time. Hughes again won the Kate Greenaway medal in 2003 for 'Ella's Big Chance', her adaptation of the Cinderella story. In total she has authored more than 50 books and illustrated over 200.Image © Shirley Hughes, 1992Shirley Hughes wrote her first children's novel, 'Hero on a Bicycle' in 2012, while her second such novel, 'Whistling in the Dark' has just been published.Congratulations to Shirley Hughes!Check the catalogue for all books by Shirley Hughes.Read more about the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award.Read an interview with Shirley Hughes (The Guardian, 6 July 2015)Below: Just some of the titles available in Pearse Street Library 

It's being billed as 'an historic moment in children's literature', as Patrick Ness wins the CILIP Carnegie Medal for his novel 'A Monster Calls' (Walker Books). Patrick also won last year for 'Monsters of Men' the third book in his 'Chaos Walking' trilogy (a feat only achieved once before by Peter Dickinson in 1979/80). Uniquely, 'A Monster Calls' has also been awarded the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration - the prize going to Jim Kay for his haunting illustrations that perfectly match the mood and subject of the novel. L.- R. Patrick Ness & Jim Kay  As a huge fan of this book myself, I set my Book Club to reading it some months ago. They are an open-minded group and accepted my recommendation of this 'children's book' with good grace. Any expectations they had harboured of an 'easy read' were soon abandoned as they became engrossed in this challenging and emotionally mature exploration of grief, bereavement, fear and the consolations of family relationships that are 'good enough'. The overall verdict from our Book Club? - 'Everyone should read this book.' Seems like the CILIP judging panel agreed.Describing 'A Monster Calls' as 'one of the defining books of its generation', Rachel Levy, chair of the 2012 CILIP Carnegie judging panel went on to say, 'It is a beautifully economical, structurally brilliant and lyrically descriptive account of a challenging episode in one child's life. One of our judges - bereaved at a young age - said she wished that she'd had 'A Monster Calls' to read then, because while it describes the nature of grief with an extraordinary clarity it also fills the reader with a spirit of hopefulness and a love for life that is profound and lasting.' Rachel went on to describe Jim Kay's award winning illustrations as 'absolutely stunning and so much part of the experience of reading this extraordinary book.'You can find out more about 'A Monster Calls' and about the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Awards at www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk

       Ireland's 'glitterati' came out in force last night at the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards Ceremony in the Concert Hall of the RDS. In a night when Seamus Heaney received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by fellow poet Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, it would be easier to say who wasn't there, than who was - even former US President Bill Clinton appeared in a pre-recorded tribute to 'one of the world's favourite poets'.The Irish Book Award winners are voted on by the public and the various categories were hotly contested. All winning and shortlisted books are available to borrow from Dublin City Public Libraries. Winners on the night were;Neil Jordan, for his novel Mistaken (Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year)Belinda McKeown, for her novel Solace (Sunday Independent Best Irish Newcomer of the Year)Sheila O'Flanagan, for her novel All for You (Easons Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year)Alan Glynn, for his novel Bloodland (Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year)Tim Robinson, for Connemara (International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year)Caitlyn Moran, for How to be a Woman (RTE John Murray Show Listener's Choice)Rachel Allen, for Easy Meals (Argosy Irish Non-fiction Book of the Year)Nicholas Roche, for Inside the Peloton (Irish Sports Book of the Year)Chris Judge, for his picturebook The Lonely Beast (Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year: Junior)Anna Carey, for her novel The Real Rebecca (Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year: Senior)A full list of all the short listed titles is still available on the Irish Book Awards website.